Second Chances
by SerenityCourage
Summary: When Gibbs adopts a teenage Abby, he gets a second chance at being a father. Will contain spanking.
1. Friends and Funerals

"Thank you! Thank you!"

Gloria and John Sciuto were practically sobbing with relief. Their fingers and hands flew in an intricate dance, as they signed their gratitude for the man in front of them.

Gibbs smiled softly at the couple, bouncing their baby girl in his arms. Her bright green eyes were wide and sparkling, little pink lips pulled into a happy grin. She seemed entirely unaware of the danger she just narrowly escaped. Yes, Abby was a very happy baby indeed.

"I'm just glad that she's alright," he said, passing her back to her mother, who promptly burst into uncontrollable tears when she had her daughter back, safe in her arms. Abby continued to babble and squeal, as if she had not just been abducted right from the seat of her pale purple stroller.

Gloria and John had been enjoying their second anniversary and were waiting for the food they'd ordered from their favorite café to be delivered to the table they'd claimed outside. Abby napped peacefully in her stroller, sleeping deeply, as infants often do.

Two tables away, a blue-eyed man and his very pregnant wife were talking quietly, heads bent together. The woman's long red hair glinted and shimmered in the sun.

The Sciutos looked up and shifted their glasses and silverware so the waiter could set their meals in front of them. A man in black slacks and a dark button down shirt started to slowly walk past the little family's table.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs and his wife, Shannon, snapped to attention when they heard the shrieking wails if a distraught child. They were just in time to see the stranger scoop a baby girl up into his arms and start to walk away as unobtrusively as possible. The girl's parents were turned the other way, oblivious to the fact that their only daughter was being carried away from right under their noses.

Gibbs watched as the man began to sprint, before throwing his chair back and starting to run after him. Distantly, he could hear Shannon's frantic tones as she talked to the other couple, but he blocked out the noise as he gave a final burst of energy and sped up so that he was right next to the man who was carrying the now hysterically crying baby.

Reaching out and snatching the girl from her kidnapper's tired arms, Jethro thrust his right foot out into the other man's path. The unnamed man tumbled to the ground, falling into a heap of his own limbs.

Half an hour later, Gibbs was still cradling the baby girl, while the Sciutos gave their report to the police, who had arrived on scene far too late to do any actual good. The couple was talking loudly, eyes on the officers' lips, so that they could tell what he was saying without signing. Shannon was cooing over the child in her husband's arms.

"She's adorable, Jethro. I'm getting anxious for our _own_ little girl to get here."

"You were already anxious. I know you, Shannon, now your just thinking of dozens of ways to protect her from people like that."

Shannon glared at him before making a face at the tiny girl who had Shannon's finger surrounded with her little fist. Abby giggled and squawked with delight. Finally, Shannon sighed and looked up at her husband.

"How could someone do that? How could they try to take someone else's child away from them?"

She was desperate to understand. A protective hand on her stomach and a warm smile towards Abby explained why.

Jethro grimaced and brought one of his hands up to grab the child's other hand.

"Greed. A healthy Caucasian baby girl could bring in a lot of money from potential adopters."

The couple stood in silence until the Sciutos came to collect their daughter.

Both families stayed in contact with each other, often getting together for dinner and Baby Abby spent many of her days in the Gibbs household being looked after by Shannon or Jethro. Soon, Jethro and Shannon were named as Abby's godparents and Kelly Gibbs made her way into the world.

Those happy times were short lived however, because John was offered a new job in Louisiana, with promising benefits for the family.

The next time Gibbs saw the Sciutos, it was the day of Shannon and Kelly's joint funeral. He smiled for the first time in a long while when he saw the pictures of green-eyed eight year old with jet black pigtails that they'd brought in place of their actual child.

Five years later, it was another funeral that he was attending. Gloria and John had been struck by a drunk driver while they were driving home from the celebration that John's company was holding in honor of it's success. They never made it home it home to their thirteen year old daughter.

Now, Gibbs was wandering through the crowd gathered in the funeral home, searching for someone who could be the tiny baby that he'd saved all those years ago. Finally, he gave in and asked an expensively dressed woman where he could find his goddaughter. She grimaced.

"Hopefully, she's far away from here. She _was _such a sweet little girl, but then just _changed_. Always wearing black, and that tattoo! The little delinquent lied about her age and forged her parents signatures on the permission form! I-"

"So she's not here?"

Gibbs hoped to cut her off before she went on with her winded rant.

"No one's seen her since the accident."

He stared in disbelief at the woman, who apparently had the nerve to insult a missing teenager at her parents funeral.

"Who are you?"

"Gloria's sister."

Her aunt. This woman was Abby's aunt.

As sickening as it was, it seemed the entire family felt the same way. The only person who actually seemed to care about Abby was the social worker assigned to place her in a new home.

The social worker was a short balding man, who had a seemingly kind demeanor. Gibbs quickly decided that he might be the only person in the room that he could actually tolerate.

Nicholas, that was his name, glared at the members of the Sciuto family. He'd been there long enough to realize that Abigail didn't exactly fit in with the rest of her family. He gestured for agent Gibbs to follow him.

"I suppose you've figured out that the poor girl isn't very welcome here," he said once they were out of earshot .

Gibbs nodded and shot a dark glance the small group of whispering funeral goers as they huddled together wearing matching scowls.

"She's Goth," Nick continued, "they don't approve. Then, Mr. and Mrs. Sciuto left everything to her in their will. She'll get it when she's eighteen. Despite what the rest say, her parents don't mind her new style. That put her in even more hot water, what with everyone protesting the will."

"She isn't going to live with any of them is she?"

"I don't have the foggiest idea where she's going to go. There weren't any specific accommodations for her in the will. The family only cares about the money, no one's even looking for the daughter. I would really hate to place her in one of those homes."

Gibbs looked at the other man for a long moment. Making a snap decision, he did what his gut told him to do.

"Abby will live with me."

Nicholas' head snapped up and he looked hesitantly hopeful.

"Are you related? I need some kind of connection to validate sending her with you instead of her relatives."

"I'm her godfather."

The social worker mumbled to himself.

"I can work with that. The papers can be finished by Friday if I get everyone's cooperation. Now, all I have to do is find her."

"Leave that to me."

-_-_-_-

There we go! Just to keep you guys clued in, the Palmer story is almost up and I included Abby in it to keep myself happy. I don't want to stop writing Abby and Gibbs, so I think I'll do one or two a month with those two. Sound okay? In other news, I've found out the other day that it's a little baby girl that's on her way. Just thought I'd brag about that.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Alleys and Adoption

Had the police department actually investigated runaways, they would have realized that Abby's was a fairly easy case. It was not, believe it or not, particularly difficult to track down a scared, miserable, little girl who wasn't thinking clearly.

It took Gibbs a total of twenty-eight minutes to find her.

The alley was secluded, but not too dirty and it had the added convenience of being right next to a gas station, where, if Gibbs' gut was correct, she'd been buying all her meals since the accident. Overall, if one had to live on the street, they were better off there than in any of the other places in the city.

But, Abby didn't have to live on the streets, Gibbs was making sure of that.

That was exactly why he was in the earlier described alley. For some reason, one that Gibbs hadn't figured out so far, instead of checking into a hotel, Abby had chosen to live here. In an alley. His godchild had a lot of explaining to do.

She didn't seem to be in the mood for polite conversation, let alone explaining her reasons for her most recent habitat when Gibbs found her. With her knees tucked under her chin and her eyes squinted shut tight, tears trailed down her face and dropped onto her legs making patterns on her black stockings. Red, puffy eyes led Gibbs to believe that she'd hardly stopped crying since she'd run away and his heart twisted. She had really been through hell that week.

Abby didn't even look up when he slid down next to her, leaning against the rough bricks of the alley wall.

"Go away," she mumbled, her voice muffled by the arm she had thrown across her face.

"Can't do that."

She tilted her head to look at him, studying his features with darting eyes.

"Why's that?"

He sighed. This was going to be hard to explain.

"I'm Agent Gibbs. Have your parents ever mentioned me?"

The girl eyed him suspiciously, although there was a spark of recognition in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

"Yeah," she said slowly, remembering that the man was one of Gloria and John's old friends, "They also mentioned a little something about not talking to strangers."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Good rule."

"_I_ thought so."

A minute later, Gibbs came to a shocking realization. They were facing off against each other, each person maintaining their stubborn expression. Abby, glaring in hopes that he would eventually just _leave_, and Gibbs painting on a stoic facade that would convince that he would not be leaving without her. That was relatively normal, Gibbs practiced his stare at NCIS all the time. What surprised him, was that she was _winning_. He liked this girl already.

He eyed her black knee length dress that was half concealed by her heavy jacket.

"Awful formal for running away."

She looked down shrugged.

"I didn't change out of my clothes after the wreck."

Gibbs started and looked down at her.

"You were in the car?"

"Yeah," she whispered, "I ran for it the minute the paramedics said that there was no way to save them."

This was news to Gibbs. He couldn't imagine that no one would look for her if she'd been with her parents when they died, but he wasn't expecting her family to be so heartless either.

"Were you hurt?"

"No," she shook her head, slowly warming up the strange man who wouldn't go away.

"Okay," he stood up slowly and offered her his hand. Abby took it and let herself to tugged up to her feet.

"Let's go."

"What?"

"You're coming to live with me."

She stared at him.

"I don't think it works that way. It doesn't seem like a very bright idea to go home with random people off the street."

"I'm not random," he smirked taking his badge and ID out, "I'm your godfather."

"So, you were at the funeral?"

Abby was seated in the passenger seat of Gibbs truck looking overly casual.

"Yeah," Gibbs answered.

"It was nice, right?" she asked frowning, "It was what they deserved?"

He transferred his grip on the steering wheel to one hand and slung the other arm over her shoulder.

"It was perfect."

She smiled softly.

"And you met the Wicked Witch of the West and her Flying Monkeys?"

He raised an eyebrow and swallowed a chuckle.

"Aunt Georgine and the rest of the family," she clarified.

"Is Aunt Georgine the one with the hair that looks like a skunk?"

Abby snickered and bobbed her head as she thought of her aunt's black hair with gray roots.

"Unfortunately, yeah, I met her."

"She has..." she trailed off as she looked for the right word, "_personality _problems."

"Ya think?"

Half an hour later, things were settled in New Orleans and Abby was asleep, slumped against the car window as they headed back to Washington DC. Gibbs flipped open his cell phone and punched in the number for his wife, Ginger.

"Jethro?"

"Yeah, Ginger it's me. I'm on my way back."

"That's good. The funeral was yesterday, why aren't you here yet?"

Gibbs took a deep breath, this wasn't going to go over well.

"I had things to take care of. I'm bringing Gloria and John's daughter back with me. She needed a place, so I adopted her."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

"Come again?"

"I adopted Abby."

That caused an explosion. Ginger ranted and screeched into the phone interminably, and Gibbs let her go on until she uttered one crucial sentence.

"You don't know anything about raising a little girl!"

Ginger knew about Kelly and Shannon. She had gone too far.

"I suggest that you be out of the house by the time I get home."

She sputtered out insults, and finally burst into furious tears.

"Fine! And make sure my name is off those adoption papers! I don't want anything to do with her!"

"Your name was never on them."

And with those final words, he hung up. The only communication he would have with Ginger after that phone call was through the mail, when he got the divorce papers. That was just fine with Gibbs. She was far too overzealous for him anyway.

_-=-=-=-=-=-=

Okay! There it is! I personally believe that the DA from Bloodbath, Ginger, was one of Gibbs three ex-wives. If you don't, that's fine, but I'd rather not hear about it. She's just a background character in this story. Aunt Georgine hasn't made her last appearance, and she isn't going to make things easy for Abby and Gibbs. Next chapter, Mike Franks, Ducky and Fornell all make their appearances, and Abby becomes a little more like the Abby we know and love.

Thanks for reading and all the fabulous reviews!


	3. Coffee and Creeps

1Gibbs awoke in the middle of the night, and the weekend's events immediately crashed down on him. He had the sudden urge to check on Abby, and slipped down the hall to the room that had previously been a guest room, but was now completely hers.

Looking in, he realized that she was not in her bed and panicked a bit, before he heard the soft sniffles coming from the living room. There, moonlight highlighting the tear tracks on her face, was Abby, standing near the window and sipping from a mug. Gibbs padded softly across the room, stopping to stand just behind her. He glanced at the contents of her mug before looking at her oddly.

"Coffee?"

She gave a small, sad smile and nodded.

"Gloria and John liked it. Plus, I need my caffeine fix."

They stood in silence until Abby finally broke. Setting her coffee down she buried her head in Gibbs' chest, violent sobs wracking her body. Gibbs rubbed her back soothingly and hugged her tight, not saying anything. He didn't need to.

When she'd calmed down enough for him to guide her back to bed, Jethro tucked her in and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Gibbs?" she called as he turned to leave the room. He stopped and looked back at her.

"Thanks," she whispered, "For everything."

With that, she laid down for a peaceful nights sleep. The room as it was disappeared before Gibbs' eyes, and it was replaced by the image of how it had been all those years ago. Pink, with a tiny red haired child curled up in her bed. Smiling, he stole one last glance at Abby before heading back to his own room.

"Probie! You're late! Too much fun this weekend?"

Gibbs slid behind his desk and smirked.

"Well, Mike, I went to a funeral of two good friends, got divorced, and adopted a teenager."

He paused.

"Yeah, it was a good weekend."

Mike stared at him before wrestling out the entire story. It wasn't hard, he was still the boss. After Gibbs had explained everything to him, he sighed and locked eyes with the younger man.

"Well, Probie, I'd say you deserve each other."

It was subtle, but Gibbs knew it was his boss's way of offering help whenever he needed.

"She seems fine, Jethro. She's just sitting in the living room, reading."

Gibbs sighed in relief. He felt stupid for sending Fornell to check on Abby. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he knew she would be just fine on her own, but it was better that he made sure that she was alright rather than worrying about her all day. They hadn't been separated since he'd found her three days earlier, and Gibbs was more than a little nervous about leaving her home alone for the first time. Something told him that Abby wouldn't take well to being looked in on, so Fornell had specific instructions to stay out of sight.

"Thanks, Tobias. You can head back to-"

He was cut off by Fornell's earsplitting scream of pain and the line cut off. Gibbs slammed the phone down and reached for his personal cell phone. Whatever had gotten to Fornell could be after Abby. He jumped when it started to ring and flipped it open impatiently.

"Gibbs," he spat, hoping to convey to the person on the other line that now wasn't a good time to mess with him. Surprise and calm hit him at the same time when he registered Abby's frantic tones.

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs! There was this creepy guy circling the house, and lurking in the bushes, and looking in the window! I got him though! He stopped to talk on his cell phone, and I got him! Should I call the police?"

Gibbs smirked and shot an amused glance at Mike, who had heard Fornell's yell from across the bullpen.

"This creepy guy wearing a suit, Abbs?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Lucky guess. How exactly did you _get_ him?"

"Pepper spray."

Mike listened in interest as Gibbs explained to his distraught godchild that Fornell wasn't an intruder, and snickered when he saw his Probie wince as he was chewed out for his overprotectiveness.

"Alright, Abbs. I'll be right there."

He cocked his head in curiosity when the other man hung the phone, and Gibbs smirked.

"Abby pepper sprayed Fornell."

Mike doubled over onto his desk in laughter before grabbing his car keys.

"You head home, and I'll go get Ducky and be over soon. I'm assuming Fornell needs Ducky?"

"He was still on the ground when I hung up. She kind of overdid it."

Mike's delighted cackle could be heard across the bullpen. He was going to get along with this girl just fine.

Gibbs cracked a smile too. The FBI really was useless, and now he had proof.

"I'm really sorry about this, Mr. Fornell."

Fornell made an effort to smile, even though his eyes and the skin around them were still burning.

"Just Fornell is fine. And don't worry about it. Had it been a real burglar, that would have been the thing to do."

He reached a hand up to his eye only to have it slapped away.

"Don't rub them, it'll only make them worse. Here, try this."

Abby passed him a milk-soaked wash cloth to lay over his eyes.

"Thanks. Why did you have pepper spray with you, anyway?"

She shrugged and sat down across from him at the kitchen table. Taking a sip of her coffee, she nudged the man's cup closer to his hand. The salt and pepper were stood back up from where he'd tipped them over in his blind search for his coffee.

"John gave it to me when I started staying home alone."

"John?"

"My dad. Anyway, since then _my_ policy became spray first, ask questions later."

Fornell lifted the cloth to look down at her.

"Are you _sure_ you only met Gibbs this weekend?"

"Positive. Well, technically, I met him when I was a baby. But that doesn't really count because I don't remember-"

She stopped when she heard the door open, and a wide grin took over her face when she recognized the familiar man who walked inside.

"Gibbs! How was work? I hope you weren't doing anything _too _important when I called. I mean, I know your whole job is important, but some things are more urgent than others, and-"

"Not more important than you, Abbs. How was your day, up until this whole fiasco?"

Gibbs leaned down to kiss the top of her head and smirked at Tobias, who was leaning back in his chair, cloth still in place.

"Tobias," he greeted nodding towards the man that his goddaughter had attacked.

"Don't say a word, Jethro."

Gibbs shook his head in amusement.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Coffee's probably still warm, if you want some," Abby put in, raising her own mug for an example. He chuckled and reminded himself to find her something better for her than coffee to fulfill her caffeine cravings. There was an agent in cyber crimes that was addicted to something in an obnoxious red cup. He'd have to try that.

Two hours later, Fornell had left with Mike, and Gibbs was ordering dinner for himself, Abby, and Ducky who had decided to stay in order to finish telling his story. Abby and Ducky got along rather well, Ducky, elated to have someone be so entranced by his stories, and Abby, just as thrilled to listen to them. Gibbs smiled fondly at the two of them. Maybe, this would all work out after all.

_-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

There you go! There were a lot of fabulous reviews last chapter, so I decided to speed up on putting this out. I'm open to suggestions if there's anything you want to see. I promise, the Ducky and Palmer story is on its way and has been expanded to include some Abby and Gibbs.

Thanks so much!


	4. First Days and Fights

As the lazy summer months dragged on, Gibbs and Abby quickly slipped into a comfortable routine.

Every morning before Gibbs went to work, he would rouse a sleepy-eyed Abby into reluctant awareness. Giving her the usual warnings, which involved keeping the door shut and locked at all times and notifying him before she went anywhere, he would give her a quick kiss on the forehead and be on his way.

Of course, he never got far before she mumbled something about getting himself breakfast, which he'd started eating again due to her vehement assurances that it _was _the most important meal of the day, and rolled over to sleep like the dead again.

The rest of the day was spent, at least on Abby's part, relaxing in the house or helping the elderly neighbors take care of their home. Although, as nice as the old couple was, she drew the line at gardening. You couldn't pay her to be out in the sun that long. It just wasn't healthy.

Gibbs would come home at night to a happily rambling Abby, who would bounce through the kitchen to help make coffee for him, having already accepting the now obligatory Caf-Pow!, and sit on the counter while she told him all about her day.

To Gibbs' dismay and Abby's delight, various members of the NCIS staff often dropped by in the evenings, along with Fornell who always took special care to knock and announce himself.

Dinner was never a very big affair. Sometimes, Gibbs would bring home take-out, or Ducky would bring something with him when he visited. Though, both members of the family were slowly getting used to cooking for themselves, something that Gibbs never bothered to do when he lived alone.

The boat that was kept in the basement was far from attention starved. Gibbs wasn't the only one who tended to doze off, sandpaper in hand. More often than not, he would end up carrying a dozing teenager up to her bed and get her conscious enough to allow him to help her get dressed for bed.

The summer passed in a happy daze. Though, as they say, all good things must come to an end. When August came to an end, Abby had been enrolled at the local junior high, something that caused Jethro a lot of grief. She'd spent the entire summer safe in their home, and now he was expected to send her off to a bunch of strangers without a second thought? It didn't make any sense.

The morning of her first day of school, Abby was barely awake, only perking up after Gibbs stopped for Caf-Pow! On the ride to school. By the time they reached the front of the building, she was her cheerful self. Leaning over to peck Gibbs on the cheek, she braced herself for the long day ahead.

And as Gibbs watched her run up the front steps of the school, something stirred inside of him. Something that hadn't been awakened since he'd dropped Kelly off for her first day of pre-school. Had he and Abby become so close that he considered her a daughter? Yes, he decided. She would never replace Kelly, no one could, but he loved her as much as he had his own daughter.

He thought about it as he answered the phone at his desk, around noon. Maybe one day, he and Abby would be as close as he was with Kelly.

"Agent Gibbs? I'm calling about your ward, Abby. She got in a fight in the lunchroom today."

If he didn't throttle her first.

_-_-_-_

Alright, I realize that this took forever, but I recently had a tiny medical scare. Those who have read some of my other work know that I've got a little baby girl on the way. I'm fine and back at home now, but I've been submitted to the torture called bed rest. Now, in theory, bed rest seems like a lot of fun. I mean, it's an excuse to be lazy. In actually, I've gone so far off my freakin' rocker that it's in an entirely different county. Paired with the fact that I don't have a laptop yet, my updates have been slow. Never fear though, my husband has gone back to work, which means that no one can snitch to the doctor if I happen to leave the bed to get some writing done. There! Now you more about my personal life than you ever wanted to! I know the fight seems out of character for Abby, but once you get all the details, it should make more sense. Next chapter has Abby in trouble for the first time since Gibbs met her. This is short, but I think I need to cut it off here so that the next chapter flows better.

Thanks for being patient with me!


	5. Details and Dating

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was not a patient man. He was even less so when called out of work to drive across town and wait in an office full of bustling secretaries, frantic parents, and juvenile delinquents. To top it off, his goddaughter was squirming in her chair and refusing to make eye contact with him.

And who could blame her? No one wanted to face an Angry Gibbs Stare.

When he finally got through the paperwork needed to take Abby home, she followed him sullenly out to the car, dragging her feet and keeping her head turned pointedly to the floor.

"You want to tell me what happened?"

Black pigtails flew as she shook her head. He sighed.

"Guess I'll have to rephrase that. You're _going _to tell me what happened."

Unintelligible mumbling was heard, and she turned her head away from him.

"What was that?"

"It was her fault," she snapped, "I didn't start it."

"And that made it better?"

"I personally thought so, but I'm pretty sure that you won't see it that way."

"Try me."

Abby slumped down further into her seat, and sighed heavily.

"Girls are jerks."

"All of them?"

"Not me. At least, not most of the time."

They pulled into the driveway just as he caught sight of the large tears that were rolling down her face. After sliding out of his seat and opening her door, he pulled her out of the car and slipped an arm around her shoulders, leading her into the house.

Once she was settled on the couch, Gibbs knelt down to her eye level and grasped her forearms.

"What's wrong, Abbs? I can't help if you don't tell me."

She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Caroline."

"She the one you fought with?"

"No, that's Alexis. Caroline's _why_ we fought."

Gibbs listened carefully, even though he realized that he wouldn't remember these insignificant names later.

"Caroline's deaf. Apparently, Alexis thinks that's _hilarious_," Abby muttered darkly.

Aw_, hell_, he thought.

"I just...I saw them making fun of her, and I...I just snapped."

He sighed and sat up next to her, gathering her into his chest.

"I'm proud of you, Abbs. You did the right thing. Next time, though,_ try_ not to throw punches."

"I'm not making any promises."

He dropped a kiss to her forehead and laughed affectionately.

"Brat."

* * *

Later that night, Abby was sitting inside the shell of the boat and leaning against the side, her rambling refueled by her experiences at school. Gibbs listened as he sanded, sawdust in the air perfecting the atmosphere, and added his input and advice where it was needed, even asking questions when the time came. It was hard not to be talkative with Abby there.

"So the girls at school don't exactly make up a welcoming committee?"

She snorted.

"I'm beginning to think they took lessons from Aunt Georgine."

"And the boys? Are they behaving?"

It wouldn't be pretty if they weren't.

Abby blushed and bowed her head, letting her hair fall, curtaining her face. Laughing, she sat back up and nodded, arms hugging her knees.

"Yeah, they like me well enough."

He raised his eyebrows, but she offered no more information. They'd have to talk about that later.

* * *

As September flew by, Abby and Caroline grew close, and Gibbs became accustomed to coming home to the two girls stretched out on the living room floor, having earlier abandoned the pretense of doing homework, signing excitedly.

It was when Abby and Caroline started talking about the various young men of their school, that he realized that Abby had no idea that he knew sign language. A lesser man might have embraced this, an easy way to spy on his child without being caught, but Gibbs was a better person and soon decided to approach the subject one night. And by approaching the subject, I do mean pointing it out bluntly.

"You know I sign, right?"

Abby looked up from her dinner and cocked her head.

"You do?"

"Yeah, how do you think I talked to your parents?"

She shrugged.

"Normally. You don't need to sign to talk to them._ I_ barely even signed to them."

"True. I talked most of the time, but most people would assume we signed."

Laughing, she smiled up at him, leaning closer to start her story.

"I try not to assume things. When I was younger, John and Gloria invited one of John's coworkers over to dinner. When she talked, she over exaggerated her words and used these weird hand signals to get her point across. At first, I thought she was doing it to _help_ my parents understand, but that was the way she talked to me, too. I went three years thinking that she had some sort of disability that made her talk like that. As it turned out, she didn't know that my parents weren't _born _deaf, and she assumed that I wouldn't be able to hear either. We'd both made fools out of ourselves because we assumed things."

Gibbs shook his head. The story was strange, even for Abby.

* * *

Abby was acting oddly.

Gibbs didn't know exactly hat was going on in that head of hers, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it, so he let it alone. It wasn't even really noticeable, but he knew her well and for him it was easy to recognize even the slightest change in her behavior.

Since she came home from school that afternoon, she seemed anxious, skittish even. In her own words, _hinky_.

Finally, when they were lounging in the living room that night, something that Gibbs hated to do, but put up with to spend time with her, it came out.

"Hey Gibbs?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you mind if I go out this Friday night?"

"With Caroline?"

Why would she be nervous about asking that? She went places with Caroline all the time.

"No, someone else."

He looked at her curiously. As far as he knew, the girls at her school still had a problem with her clothes and attitude.

Abby fiddled with the couch cushion before meeting his eyes.

"A guy. It's like a date."

Oh, _hell _no.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_

There we are! I'm really sorry about the slow updates, but until this bed rest crap is over I'd really appreciate it if you could just bear with me. I can't justify spending all that money on a laptop when I've got a baby on the way. It feels irresponsible. Thanks for all the fantastic support and feedback! You guys are great!

Up next, Abby's first date.

Thanks for reading!


	6. Espionage and Email

In the end, Abby got her way, leaving Jethro astonished at how fast he could switch from soothing away tears, to kicking himself for falling for them. And now, as he paced the hallway, waiting for his goddaughter to finish getting ready, he cursed her ability to persuade him into these things more than ever. She was far too young for this.

When she finally emerged from her room, Abby slid down the wall to sit on the ground starting to strap on her shoes. Gibbs saw this as a good time for some little reminders.

"What are the rules?"

"Stop, drop, and roll."

"Abby..."

She snickered and adopted the deadpan tone that seemed to come naturally to all teenagers, as she popped back up to stand at attention and give a cheeky salute.

"Home by 2100, or you'll put out a BOLO. Any later than 2200, and arrests will be made."

"Go on."

"Terrorists can be of any age, and you don't have any ethical qualms about incriminating a fourteen year old boy."

"And?"

"No touching, period. I have a question about that one. What if I happen to be a very _willing _participant?"

Jumping back, she glared up at him, rubbing the sting of his smack out of her backside.

"Ouch, Gibbs! It was a joke!"

"I'm not laughing."

"Now, _there's _a shocker."

Abby shook her head, softening and stepping up to hug him.

"Gibbs, I'll be fine."

"If he hurts you, we can make him disappear without leaving evidence."

"Really? Sounds cool."

"It's called forensics. We could go meet the specialist right now, if you want. She's probably still there."

"Tough decision, but I think I'll just go wait for my date."

"He's been here for half an hour. Ducky and Franks have been keeping him busy."

"_What?_"

She hissed angrily and pressed her ear to the living room door, straining to hear what was going on behind it. Picking up Ducky's soft tones, she leaned closer.

"_So you see Jason, I'm a medical examiner. Technically, my job description includes finding the cause and time of a person's demise. Should said death be caused by being autopsied alive, well then, I've always been early for everything." _

"Okay! I think it's time to go, Jason."

Abby burst through the door, grabbed Jason's wrist, kissed all three men on the cheek, and bolted for the door, dragging her date with her.

"You didn't tell me they were crazy," he spat out.

"Hey! They're not! They just don't like you. Now, come on. Your mom probably thinks they've killed you."

Back in the house, all three men sat on the couch, watching sullenly as the car pulled out of the driveway.

"I would have thought Tobias would be here, this evening. He doesn't like this any more than we do," Ducky muttered, still staring out the window. Mike chuckled.

"He probably assumed that she'd mace her way out of a bad situation."

"Nope," Gibbs said, crossing the room and grabbing the phone, "He's tailing the car. He'll call us when he gets there."

* * *

Abby was the kind of person who loved surprises. However, seeing the four men that she had least expected to be there slide into a booth at the far end of the restaurant was a shock that she could live without. Giggling nervously, she tried not to let on to Jason that there the men who threatened him earlier were currently sending death glares towards the table.

This was going to end with blood, she just knew it.

Dropping her hand lazily over the side of the table, Abby moved her hand subtly, going through the familiar movements of signing.

_Too far, Gibbs. Go home._

His eyes followed her hands and he quickly replied with his own signals.

_What makes you think that I'm not here to eat?_

She rolled her eyes and gave a short laugh at what Jason was saying.

_You never eat in this kind of restaurant because you're positive that the staff is trying to frustrate you. Go home._

Gibbs didn't answer, and she sighed.

_I've never given you a reason not to trust me, Gibbs. Please, just go._

Slightly stung, he slipped out of the booth and out towards the door, only turning back to give her a small, sad smile. Turning to his coworkers, he waved a hand, encouraging them to follow.

"Come on, she doesn't need us."

* * *

"Am I really the right person for you to talk to about this?"

"Gibbs," Abby whined, unhappy that her recap of her date was being cut short, "It's not like I can call Caroline, and my ears are still ringing from the lecture you gave me about walking over there in the dark."

Gibbs winced. That hadn't been a good night for anyone involved, and he wasn't entirely sure it was going to be a one time thing. He hadn't had to punish her yet, and he hoped that he never would, but Abby seemed to be testing her limits an awful lot lately. Sooner or later, it would come back to bite her because Gibbs had almost had enough.

"Send her a cmail."

"Cmail?"

"Yeah, you know, computer mail."

"You mean email?"

"Computer doesn't start with an e."

"Well, no, but electronic does."

"_What?"_

She laughed and kissed his cheek, heading for the stairway.

"Never mind, I think I'll just go to bed."

Watching her go, he sighed and took a swig of bourbon. Of course she wouldn't want for him to tuck her in that night, he'd been stupid for hoping that she still would. Why would she want _him_ when tonight she'd proved that she could get along just fine without her godfather tagging along behind her?

A fumbling noise startled him and he looked to the top of the stairs. There stood Abby looking confused.

"Aren't you coming?"

Gibbs couldn't have been up the stairs faster if the basement was on fire.

_-_-_

Okay! I think I might like this chapter. I'm never particularly proud of my writing, but this one is a favorite of mine. I think that it's almost time for Jenny to come in. Diane too, but I might not make her a very nice gal.

Thank you for reading and all the wonderful support and reviews!


	7. Suspicion and Sneaking

"Should I be suspicious?"

Abby jumped and turned to smile guiltily at him.

"You're always suspicious, why should today be any different?"

Gibbs ignored his aching knees' protests and sunk down next to her on the floor.

"True. You do know that the thing next to you? It's called a chair, and it's an alternative to sitting on the floor."

She shrugged, but offered no explanation. Gibbs raised an eyebrow and continued.

"When I came home you were locked in your room with Caroline, and it was completely silent. Usually, that means you've either done something that I won't like, or you're planning to something that I won't like."

Abby chuckled and nestled her shoulders under his arm.

"You got me, Gibbs. I robbed a bank. I know it was wrong, but-"

"Hey," he shoved her gently, "You know whatever it is you can come to me, right?"

She sighed in content, closing her eyes and leaning her head on Gibbs' arm.

"Yeah, Gibbs. Always."

* * *

Something wasn't right. Leroy Jethro Gibbs' gut had been telling him that since he'd woken up a few minutes before. Persuading himself that he wasn't just being overprotective, as he was well aware that he often was, he padded down the hallway and pushed Abby's door open a crack.

He almost choked when he saw the empty bed.

* * *

"Abby, this is a _really _bad idea. My parents are going to ground me until I'm buried _in _the ground, and who knows what Gibbs will do to you?"

"I do. Nothing. He won't do anything, because he won't find out. Will you just relax and enjoy our night?"

Caroline looked at her friend in disbelief. The man was an ex-marine, and Abby thought that he wouldn't notice that his goddaughter snuck out of the house? Maybe she really was as crazy as everyone thought.

"Abby, I'm putting my foot down."

"Well, stop that, you can't walk quickly with your foot down."

Once it had been established that dating was a bit of a low point about having an entire federal agency wrapped around your little finger, Abby had sought after other ways to spend her Friday nights. Most of these were Gibbs approved activities, but an unsupervised party at an older boy's house was not.

She'd known that from the moment she and Caroline were invited to now, as the girls crept along the sidewalk, the street lamps lighting the way. For that reason alone, she hadn't asked him. It was better for all involved if this little incident slipped under Gibbs' radar. Nothing ever had before, but there was a first time for everything.

Caroline stopped and grabbed the younger girl's shoulders.

"Read my lips-"

"Not my strong point, can you sign it? Or better yet, just say i-"

"Focus, Abby! We are going home, that's final! It's midnight, and I'm tired. This party won't be worth it."

"Caroline..."

"Why would I want to go to a party where all anyone does is dance to music that I can't hear?"

Abby's eye's widened in guilt, before she lurched forward and grabbed her friend in a fierce hug.

"I forgot! I'm sorry! That was selfish of me!"

Caroline couldn't see her lips to read them, but she smiled anyway. Abby really was the best friend a girl could have.

They turned back in silence, arms linked and only slightly disappointed. Just when they were sure that they would get off scot free, a firm hand clamped down on Abby's shoulder. She whirled around, expecting, but dreading to see Gibbs.

The steely gray eyes that stared back were far from Gibbs' blue ones.

"Where do you think you're going, Princess?"

_____

Okay, there we go! I'm so incredibly sorry about the delay.

My _dear_, _sweet _mother in law has been in town. There ought to be a law against irritating witches visiting there pregnant daughter in laws. I swear, if she implied that I was going to make a bad mother one more time, she was going to go home without all her limbs. If the wait bothered you, feel free to send her hate mail. I do, and it always makes me feel better. That and kicking.

I think this might be my first cliffhanger. I should do more of those, huh? ;-)

Thanks for reading and being patient!


	8. Freaking and Finding

"The window's unlocked. She must have gone out through there."

"Willingly?"

"I'm not sure yet."

Gibbs' voice cracked and he worked to control himself. Mike put a hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Calm down, Probie. If we can solve murders and track don terrorists, we can track down your little girl. You said yourself that she was acting strange. She might have been planning this."

However, both were still doubtful. Abby was a damn good kid, and it wasn't like her to pull something like this.

"Does she usually keep these here?"

Fornell gestured towards the two stacks of books that rested beneath the window. Gibbs shool his head slowly, a flicker of hope igniting in his heart.

Tobias grinned.

"It looks like she gave herself a boost up."

Relief flooded all three men, and Gibbs dropped wearily onto the bed.

"She's fine, then. Until I get to her, at least."

* * *

"Home."

_I'm not afraid of him. I'm not afraid of him. I'm not-_

The strange man's grip tightened, and Abby squirmed fiercely, trying to free herself.

_Oh, Hell. Who am I kidding? I'm afraid of him. I'm very afraid of him._

She took ragged, panting breaths, as Caroline watched in horror.

"I don't think so," he scoffed, "Not yet at least. We haven't had our fun. Now, what's a pretty little thing like you doing out so late? Isn't it past your bedtime?"

_Caroline, run, _she mouthed desperately. _Run._

Blonde curls flew back and forth as the other girl shook her head furiously. There was no way she was leaving now.

_Get your dad. Call for help._

Caroline made small panicked mewling sounds and started to back away slowly, before turning and bolting. She had to help. She couldn't let anything happen to her friend.

The man's other hand rose up to her shoulder. Sharp fingernails dug through her shirt to her skin, and Abby stifled a cry of pain.

As terrified as she was, she couldn't help but think that it was ironic. She'd spent an entire week sleeping in an alley in New Orleans, not caring if she lived or died, and _now _she was attacked? Walking through the suburbs on her way home?

Before she had time to laugh at the thought, the man's face jerked back as a large fist plowed into it.

"_Gibbs_," she breathed.

_

* * *

_

_Safe..._

It was hard to believe that after everything they'd been through, she was finally safe. Though he was slightly reminded by the figure that was clinging to his neck, sputtering out apologies.

"Shh..." he crooned, stroking her hair in relief, "You're alright. I got him, Mike and Fornell took him away._"_

"He's not going to meet Ducky is he?" she muttered worriedly into the crook of his neck. He hadn't technically committed a crime, and she didn't want Gibbs to have a murder charge hanging over his head.

He chuckled lowly, placing a kiss on her brow.

"No, he's not. Should be, but he's not."

She nodded, as he placed his forearm under her bottom and braced his other arm across the back of her shoulders, lifting her into his arms and walking back to the car.

Abby didn't protest to being carried like a small child. After the night she'd had, she was just glad that she didn't have to let go of her godfather.

"You know that you're in big trouble, right?"

"Yeah, kinda figured."

* * *

Leroy Jethro Gibbs sat awake, coffee on the table in front of him. Abby's door was wide open and he stared at the bundle of blankets as if she would vanish into thin air if he took his eyes off of her for one second. He wouldn't have been able to let him out of his sight if he'd wanted to try.

She was home, and she was safe. The problem now was that she'd snuck out in the first place. Her little tests had gone way too far, and she was almost seriously hurt.

With Kelly, there wouldn't have been a question about it. She would have been spanked, plain and simple.

With Abby, it was different. He didn't know how John and Gloria had punished her, or even if they did at all, they were always a little more free spirited than Gibbs thought was good for them. She was older too, not that it mattered much. And as much as he hated to think it, she wasn't his biological child. He didn't think about it that way, he only saw her as a daughter, but he wasn't sure how she felt.

Sighing, he shook his head. He was making excuses. She had to be punished, and there was no way out of it.

Lifting his mug to his lips, Gibbs spluttered and scowled. A horrible way to end a horrible night.

His damned coffee was cold.

* * *

_Cliffhangers make me guilty._

_In better news, the mother in law's gone. However, when she came back to retrieve her forgotten suitcase, she walked in on my rousing version of "The Evil Bitch is Gone."_

_Oh, well._


	9. Correction and Coffee

The morning broke a few hours later, and the bright rays of sunlight seemed to seek out Abby's eyes just to shine in them. She moaned and rolled over tossing an arm over her eyes to shield them, but failed to keep herself asleep.

Sighing, she sat up in her bed and chuckled at the sight in front of her. There was Gibbs, fast asleep at the kitchen table, coffee that couldn't possibly be fresh still in his grasp. Stretching side to side in order to see the kitchen clock, she frowned. She liked her sleep just as any other teenager did, (long, deep, and uninterrupted), but she'd never been fond of staying in bed this late in the day.

Setting chilled, bare feet on the carpeted floor, Abby crept out of bed and towards the kitchen. She laughed when Gibbs jumped up, roused by her quiet footsteps.

"Don't shoot! It's just me."

She hoisted herself up onto the counter and started the coffee maker. Getting on her knees to reach her favorite mug, she rolled her eyes when she felt his hands on her waist, steadying her and easing her back down to the floor.

"What have I told you about that?" he asked, grabbing the mug down himself.

"That I'm going to break my neck, and they don't let patients have Caf-Pow! in the hospital."

"Exactly."

Gibbs leaned down to kiss her head, and smirked as she scampered to the counter excitedly as the coffee finished.

She filled her mug to the brim and inhaled the heavy scent in satisfaction.

"You know that we still have to talk about last night, right?"

Abby scowled, and set her coffee down.

"Way to ruin the first caffeine fix of the day, Gibbs."

"Didn't say that you couldn't finish it. I'll meet you in your room when you're ready."

He smoothed a hand over her hair and poured his own coffee before heading down to the basement to sip it in silence.

She sighed and looked down at her mug mournfully. It just wasn't the same.

* * *

It was while she was sitting cross-legged on her bed that Abby heard the unwelcome sounds of someone making his way up the stairwell. In her opinion, when in came to punishment, procrastination was a very good thing.

She felt the bed sink down next to her, and a warm arm around her shoulders. Letting her head drop to his shoulder, she listened as he began to speak.

"I don't know how this would have been handled if your parents were here."

He paused to allow her to answer his implied question.

"I would have been punished," she mumbled, wincing at the thought of exactly how Gloria and John would have gotten the message through to her.

Gibbs nodded, understanding that she truly wasn't stalling, just not putting a lot of thought into her answers before allowing them escape her mouth.

"And _how _were you punished in New Orleans?"

"Often."

"Abby..." he warned quietly, not sure why it mattered to him, when he would use his own method no matter what she said.

"I would have been spanked."

He nodded softly, moving his hand up to her chin and tilting her face up to look into her eyes.

"Good. Then you won't have any trouble adjusting here."

Abby groaned, and hid her head in her hands.

"Do you _have _to?"

Gibbs smiled sadly, nodding and rubbing her back.

"Yeah, Abbs, I have to. What you did last night was dangerous, and you could have been killed. I'm only doing this because I don't want to lose you, Abby. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

She nodded and took a deep breathe, trying to soothe the achy feeling that gathered in her chest from panic.

"Can we...please...just get it over with?"

He didn't answer, only reached out to run a hand through her hair, before grabbing her shoulder and laying her gently over her lap. He didn't lecture, the night before had been enough of an example of why her behavior was wrong.

Gibbs brought a firm hand down on her backside, wincing as he heard her whimper, more from guilt and embarrassment than pain. Steeling himself and gathering all his reasons for punishing her in his head, he continued to spank her, fueled by his worries from the night before.

He pushed her shirt up onto her back, leaving her pajama bottoms on for privacy, he caught a glimpse of black and almost chuckled at the sight of the large cross on her back. So _this _was the tattoo that had her relatives so fired up.

It didn't take much for her to start crying, and Gibbs was relieved that she'd learned her lesson so quickly. He didn't think that he could've handled much more. Tilting her up so that she was looking over his shoulder, he rubbed her back soothingly, fixing her shirt and leaning his head on the top of hers.

"I gotcha, Abbs. You're alright. It's over."

He moved off the bed, Abby still in his arms, and tugged down the black bedspread that covered her red top sheets. Laying her down on her stomach he continued to run his hand in soothing circles along her back.

"The tattoo's impressive. How bad was that to get?"

"Slightly less painful than this," she gestured to her sore backside and he rolled his eyes at her exaggeration.

"Of course it was. You think you'll live?"

She laughed quietly and nodded.

"Good," he said, groaning as he stood from his position on the floor, and pulling up her covers, "Then you should get some more sleep. You had a long night."

"Think I might," Abby shrugged, "But I have to make a phone call first."

Gibbs looked at her curiously, but handed her the cordless phone that she kept in her bedroom anyway. He bent down to kiss her forehead, before striding out and nudging the door shut a bit.

Pausing when he heard her soft drawling tones, he convinced himself that he was most certainly _not _eavesdropping and quietly leaned against the wall, picking up her side of the conversation.

"Mr. Monroe?"  
_  
Caroline's father. _

"It's Abby."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Gibbs got me in time."

"Thanks. I just wanted to tell you that...it....it was all my idea. Caroline shouldn't be in trouble."

"She did? No, sir, that's not true, she's just trying to cover for me."

"She only went out last night to bring me back."

"She knew that you'd call Gibbs if she told you."

"Oh."

"Could you tell her I'm sorry? I didn't mean to get her in trouble."

"Thank you, sir. Bye."

_That's my girl. _

* * *

Finally, this is out.

I've got lots of ways that I want to take this story from her, so updates might be quicker. Although, my husband types some of these for me, (obviously not this one, or the rest of the author's note might be kinder), so I can just write them down in a notebook and not break my bed rest rules, but he's leaving town for business soon.

Unfortunately, he thinks that this means I need a nurse to stay with me. Since we're new to this town and all my family lives across the country, a nurse is our best option. I prefer to stay by myself, but I've been given an ultimatum. It's either a nurse, or my _darling _mother in law, who, despite having no concerns for _my _health, _does _care for her future granddaughter's safety. Needless to say, a nurse arrives here Wednesday.

I've actually named one of my characters after my mother in law. Any guesses on who? Here's a hint, she's making an appearance real soon.

So, please forgive me for the long author's, bed rest does not give me a lot of opportunities to talk the outside world.

Thanks for reading!


	10. Conferences and Classes

Leroy Jethro Gibbs hurried into the Junior High front office, shaking his head and running a hand through his aging hair.

That girl was going to turn him gray by the time she reached fourteen.

The secretary looked up and smiled.

"Go right in, Mr. Gibbs. She's waiting for you."

After nodding back at her, he did as asked, slightly perturbed by the fact that he was called in often enough for the woman to know him by name.

He seated himself in the chair next to his daughter, who had curled herself into a tight ball and was pointedly looking in the other direction. He sighed.

Well, this promised to be a good one.

"What happened?"

Abby fidgeted and looked up at him sweetly.

"If I told you that I had nothing to do with it and was a victim of the flawed public school justice system, you would ..."

"Not believe you."

"And that is why you make such a great parent, Gibbs. Because you aren't gullible, and-"

"Abbs?"

"Yes, Gibbs?"

He leaned in close until his nose bumped hers.

"Cut the crap."

"Consider it cut," she assured him.

"Speaking of cut, Miss Sciuto," the principal put in, walking into the office.

Abby grinned and waved him off. "There's no need for formalities among friends, Leonard. How are Laurie and the kids?"

"They're just fine, thank you," Mr. Morgan said, smiling wryly. Abigail Sciuto had really grown on him in her short time there.

"Your science teacher is just fine, also. I thought you'd like to know, considering you haven't seen her in a week."

Sinking low into her chair, she winced. "Glad to hear it. I meant to drop in and see her today, but I just had such a hectic morning. You know how it is."

"Of course. Although, if I remember correctly, there is a time allotted for you to see her each day. I believe it's called third period."

"Sounds familiar," she muttered, sneaking a quick glance at Gibbs through the corner of her eye. Cringing, she turned the other way, tucking her face into her shoulder. _I really wish I hadn't done that._

Gibbs was staring at her disappointedly, with a little bit of disbelief showing on his face. This wasn't like Abby at all and it was time that he got to the bottom of it.

"What's going on, Abbs? Science is your favorite."

He would know. She'd only given him the rambling speech about her school subjects and teachers twice a day.

"I know, it's just…it's _boring_."

"_Excuse me?"_

"Wait! That didn't come out right! I mean, I know that's not a good excuse. By boring, I mean I've already learned it. Back in New Orleans. Our class was _way_ ahead of what we're doing now, plus I'd moved ahead there. Honors classes. You don't have those at the junior high here," she paused for a moment, before continuing hurriedly, "Not to say that you wouldn't know that, Mr. Morgan! It is your school, but-"

"I think I get the point Miss-"

"Abby."

"Abby, then. I'll see what I can do. One of the seventh grade teachers used to work in a high school. He should be able to set you up with an independent study for third period. Report to the library tomorrow to get started."

"Thank you," Abby said, vehemently, "A girl can only learn about ecosystems and cell structure so many times before she loses it."

"No problem. Next time you have an issue like this, just come talk to me. We all want to make sure that you adjust as well as possible. And Abby?"

"Yes?"

"You do know that you still have a week's worth of detention in your very near future, right?"

Sighing, she wound a pigtail around her finger and nodded.

"Good. You're a very clever girl, Miss Sciuto. Don't waste that."

Mr. Morgan escorted the two out of his office, pausing to shake Gibbs hand.

"Your detention starts tonight."

Abby nodded.

"Got it. I have to say, Leonard, I'm very glad this wasn't about that little incident in the computer lab."

"What incident in the computer lab?"

"The one that doesn't exist," she answered slowly, before leaning up to peck Gibbs on the cheek and dashing off to class.

Both men chuckled lowly.

"You must be a very patient man, Mr. Gibbs."

* * *

I figured when my maternity leave was up, that I'd better get back to this, too. Thank you so much to everyone who left good wishes and I'd like you to know that Chloe, her daddy, and I are all doing fantastically. I know, it seems like I neglected this for a long while, but I'd really appreciate some patience.

Thanks for Reading!


	11. Ramblings and Rules

Abby swung her bag up higher on her shoulder, biting her lip and searching for Gibbs to give her a lift home from detention. The light weight in her right jacket pocket was weighing heavy on her conscience. Sighing, she pulled the half-full carton of cigarettes out into the palm of her hand, studying it carefully.

This wasn't her fault. If she hadn't been put into detention, this never would have happened. Not that she regretted being in detention. The kids she'd met there were interesting and fun and they called her "Pigtails" which made her smile. Besides, it wasn't as if she was going to smoke any of them. Nope, not a one.

Probably.

Seeing Gibbs' pull into the school parking lot, Abby shoved the carton into her school bag. She was in enough trouble already. Although, he hadn't seemed particularly angry in the office. It was unlikely that he was _entirely_ pleased with her, though.

Climbing into the passenger seat, she braced herself for the blast. Gibbs temper was bound to erupt after the incident in the office, and the last place she wanted to be was in the range of explosion.

"How was school?"

Well, that was anticlimactic.

"Fine, I guess," she said slowly.

"And detention?"

"Wonderful. It really is a great social hot spot."

"Really? I'm sure you found some high quality friends."

"Miranda says I should pierce my nose."

"Miranda's going to be sorely disappointed."

Abby scrunched her nose in displeasure.

"Aw, Gibbs. Can you just think about it?"

"Already did. Not gonna happen."

She sighed, before looking thoughtful and turning towards him again.

"Eyebrow?"

"Nope."

"What about another tattoo?"

Gibbs raised his eyebrow in an expression that he hoped conveyed that there was no way in hell he was going to take his thirteen-year-old daughter to get a tattoo.

"Not now, huh?"

"Got it one. When you're sixteen, then we'll see."

Grumbling quietly, Abby warned herself not to push her luck, right then.

"Hey, Gibbs?" she asked quietly, "About today, in the office. Am I…I mean…um…are you-"

"Am I going to spank you?"

She nodded, averting her eyes and fidgeting with her hands.

"I'm not, Abby. That's not going to happen every single time you make a mistake. Last time was very serious. I couldn't let that go."

Blushing slightly, Abby brightened a bit, relief taking a weight off her chest.

"Yeah, I wish you would have come and talked to me, but the school handled this one. You're a good kid, Abs. That's enough for me."

Squirming in guilt and pressing her bag back, further away from Gibbs, she thought about the cigarettes that Miranda had given her.

The ride was quiet for a while, until Gibbs broke the silence.

"I thought we could go out for dinner, tonight. We could meet up with Franks and Ducky. There's a new agent on the team that I want you to meet."

~*~

Abby waved as Jenny drove out of the restaurant parking lot. Turning back to face the three men who were talking softly behind her, she nodded.

"She can stay."

Gibbs chuckled and tugged on the end of her pigtail.

"I'm glad to hear that she's passed your inspection."

"Don't take it lightly, Gibbs. I don't give my approval out to just anyone."

"Glad to hear it," he shot back, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, and leading her to the car, "Can't trust just anyone."

"Which rule is that?"

He looked at her quietly for a moment.

"It isn't one of mine."

"Oh," Abby said, scrunching her eyebrows. "Shouldn't you make it one? It seems sort of important."

"Nope."

She bristled, putting her hands on her hips and giving him as mean a glare as she could muster.

"_Gibbs_…"

"You could, though."

Clambering into the front seat, she bit her lip and thought for a minute.

"I guess I could, huh? This rules thing seems to work for you."

Gibbs grinned softly, nodding his head and beginning to drive.

They chatted idly for a while, before she remembered something very important.

"Did a boy named Derek call for me while I was getting ready? I thought I heard the phone ring and he said he was going to."

"Did you meet him in detention?"

"Yeah," Abby said slowly.

"Then, no. He didn't."

"_Gibbs_," she whined, swatting the laughing man lightly on the arm, "Abby rule number one: Do not lie to Abby!"

* * *

Alright!

Here it starts to get a little off storyline, but not much. I know Franks was supposed to be living it up down in Mexico by the time Jenny showed up, but I'm not ready to let him go, yet.

In other news, the lovely mother in law seems to have realized that I don't let mean, nasty people near my daughter, and backed off a titch.

I've still got some tricks up my sleeve for this story. Abby's going on a field trip to New York. Hmm...who do we know that lives there? And of course, there's the matter of Paris...


	12. Dresses and Dogs

Leroy Jethro Gibbs had never been in an entire store devoted to Halloween, nor did he ever expect to. And if on the off chance he ever did set foot in a place like that, it would most likely not be in April.

At least, that's what he thought before that morning. In fact, before that morning he didn't even plan on leaving his home.

But Abby had a way of surprising him, and it was always better to go along with whatever she had planned. Arguing with her was generally useless because, for one thing, she almost always won. Worse than that, upsetting her always left a foul tang in his mouth and made his heart cramp ever so slightly.

Jethro often berated himself for allowing her to wrap him so firmly around her tiny, black-nailed finger. However, it wasn't as if he was alone. He could easily list three other federal employees who were in the exact same position, and one who was well on her way.

Nevertheless, none of _them_ were being dragged through the entire city in an attempt to find a dress for a middle school dance.

Lucky them.

As hard as he tried to convince his daughter that he really wasn't any good at that sort of thing, Abby wouldn't be moved. In fact, she seemed exasperated every time he brought it up.

"_Why can't Jenny take you? You two have been attached at the hip lately."_

"_I don't want her opinion, Gibbs. I want yours. Jenny isn't my dad." _

It was extremely difficult to argue with that logic, not that he wanted to. He was secretly rather pleased that she trusted his judgment over another woman's.

As a result, he'd grudgingly driven her to the store, only to have her take one look at the place and declare every dress in it unacceptable. They'd marched back to the car, where Abby had given him directions to this place.

So now here he sat, tapping his foot and wincing at the pounding music that filled the silence of the store. It was a wonder that this place stayed open all year, he'd expected them to be one of the only customers. But yet again, he'd been mildly surprised. The store was crowded, so much so that there were lines at the register that wound well back into the costume section.

Gibbs checked his watch and looked over at the dressing room. He didn't have anywhere else to be, but Abby had been in there for an awfully long time and he would rather not have to barge into the women's dressing room to check on her. Not to say that he wouldn't if he had to, but he would never live it down if he got kicked out of the store because someone complained.

Just as he was about to get out of his chair, a pigtailed head poked out from the room before Abby rounded the corner. A smile spread across his face and he reached out to pull her in front of him.

"What do you think?"

The dress was…_something else_. On anyone but Abby it would've been over the top, he knew enough to tell you that. However, seeing what she normally wore made it seem entirely normal and almost probable. It was, of course, black, with red threading running through the length of it. The sleeves were long enough to reach her palms and wrap around her fingers, leaving them exposed. Overall, it was very Abbyesque.

"Beautiful, Abs."

She flicked her hips side to side, watching the skirt brush and rustle.

"It's very swishy," she said mildly, rocking on her heels.

"Your favorite."

Nodding seriously, Abby bit her lip.

"Derek will like it."

His good mood instantly became strained as he scowled and grumbled under his breath at the mention of her date for the dance.

"Not _too_ much, he won't."

* * *

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was anxious to finish his boat for two main reasons. The most obvious one being that he was anxious to get out and sail. The second one being that one of these days, his daughter was going to crack her head open while using the shell of it like a jungle gym.

"Stop that," he warned, reaching up to lift her off the top of the unfinished boat where she had been hanging by her legs.

"_Gibbs_, not cool."

"Don't care, Abs. You already fell off once."

"You caught me! And besides, it was an unfortunate, yet isolated incident."

"_Abby_."

Giggling, she climbed her way to the other end and picked up her sanding block.

"Are we going to see Ducky tomorrow? And Mrs. Mallard?"

"Yep."

"Good. I like Mrs. Mallard, even if she calls me Beatrice sometimes. Her stories are as good as Ducky's, just a little less rooted in reality. The Corgis are fun, too. Hey Gibbs?"

"No."

A lightly painted affronted mask painted itself on her face.

"You don't even know what I'm going to ask!"

"We're not getting a dog, Abs," he said, hoping it was true and he wouldn't give in.

"You don't seem to sure about that," snickered Abby, in a tone that told him she was hiding a smile. Gibbs growled good-naturedly and tugged at her pigtail, helping her detangle herself from the boat.

"Go to bed, brat. I'll be up in a minute."

The sight of her laughing and running up the stairs had become familiar, but he still never took it for granted.

* * *

_It's just occurred to me that 4 AM is not what most people consider Friday, but it's when I do my best proofreading. Incidentally, I started Snowed In while watching Royal Pains last night and it did not come as easy as I thought. However, if everything is not updated by 4:30 tomorrow morning, you can assume I was hit by a bus, or some other tragic incident occurred. My life is a soap opera._


	13. Papers and Paris

"Good morning, boys. How are we on this fine day?"

Two steadily aging heads slowly raised from the autopsy report that they had been studying, just in time to see two black pigtails bounce across the room before settling at Gibbs' desk.

"Just fine, Miss Abby," Mike drawled, knowing from experience that if he just kept her talking he would get all the answers that he needed, no questions necessary.

"And how has your day been?"

"Fabulous. It got a little dicey there during first period, but now everything's back on par."

"Dicey? That doesn't sound good."

Green eyes fixed him with a solemn gaze.

"It generally isn't."

Donald Mallard stared bemusedly at the two.

"Aren't you going to ask what she's doing here?" he hissed into Mike's ear, sounded affronted that no one had thought of this before.

"Nope. I'm sure that Probie will get to the bottom of it soon enough. You just have to be patient, Doctor Mallard."

"I'm thanking the high heavens that you don't have children," said the doctor before raising his voice slightly to call across the room. "Abigail, shouldn't you be in school?"

"Trust me, Duck Man. I'd be in a lot more trouble if I'd stayed than I will be for leaving."

"Have you been suspended?"

"I didn't stick around to find out."

"That's...concerning. Extremely concerning."

Abby shrugged and began to rifle through the nearest desk drawer. It didn't take long for her to become disappointed with the contents, as Gibbs had never been one to store anything but office supplies and files in his desk. Before she had time to become bored, a dangerous practice for Abby, she stared down at the papers that covered the desk, hoping to see some interesting murder case or crime scene photos.

But instead she got a shock.

The effect was immediate. The color drained from her face and she sat back in her chair, no longer swiveling happily from side to side. Mike, who had moved back to his desk during Abby's desk inspection, looked over curiously, alerted by the absence of humming.

"Something wrong, kid?"

A slow shake of the head was all the answer he got, and he was immediately alarmed. His knees popped as he rose from his chair and crossed the room. He reached to place the back of his hand onto her forehead, frowning when she squirmed away, scowling.

"No fever," he muttered, backing away in surrender as she swatted at him.

Abby stood, shakily, and captured her quivering lip between her teeth.

"I'm fine. I'm gonna hit the head."

And with that, she sprinted from the bullpen.

Mike shook his head. Maybe Doctor Mallard was right. It was a good thing that he didn't have children. And when Abby hadn't emerged half an hour later, the feeling was further confirmed.

"Abigail?" Mike called softly into the entrance of the ladies' room. The room was silent. Abby was gone.

"Aw, _shit_."

* * *

"Gibbs."

"You on your way back yet, Probie?"

"Yeah. I'm just gonna drop Shepard off, though. Abby got into a food fight at school, and now the school can't find her."

"That's why I was calling. She was here."

"_Was_?"

"Not anymore. Went to the head and slipped out. Security doesn't remember seeing her leave."

"So, she's still in the building?"

"Security doesn't remember seeing her come in, either. Wouldn't take their word for it. Abby', s a tricky little thing."

"That's my girl," Gibbs said fondly, putting his worry aside for the moment.

"I know. I've got Fornell on it. Tried to get a couple NCIS agents, but the director disapproved. Apparently, we can't pull half the agency out into the field to find a civilian that hasn't technically been reported missing."

"Who would have thought it."

* * *

When he began his career as an NCIS agent, Leroy Jethro Gibbs also started to spend a significant amount of his time searching for people. Witnesses, suspects, witnesses that _turned into suspects, _along with the occasional _actual_ kidnap victim all required his famous gut at different times. Before long, he considered himself an expert in the field of finding things.

Not that it at all aided him in finding his adopted daughter. Again.

To make matters worse, Gibbs was quickly discovering that Abby was exceedingly more difficult to find the second time around, and he was already rightfully exhausted from a day of chasing after witnesses. Finally, Ducky had sternly ordered him home for a quick meal and an even quicker nap. At first, Gibbs had all out refused, but knowing that Franks and Fornell would continue his search, he eventually agreed.

As he walked through the front door, he immediately made his way to the kitchen, wanting to follow Ducky's instructions as soon as possible and get back to looking for his daughter. One sandwich later, he was on his way up the stairs to his bedroom, trying to keep his eyes away from the doorway to Abby's room.

It didn't take long for him to realize that there was no way in hell that he would be able to sleep. Knowing that both Ducky and Franks would have his ass if they saw him still out searching, he decided to work on the boat for a few minutes before going back out. And if he happened to make a few phone calls to some of Abby's friends while he was down there, no one would be the wiser.

As he stepped down the staircase, he noticed the dim light was still on and rolled his eyes, fondly. He was always telling Abby not to leave that light on, but she never seemed to listen.

Only a half hour, then he could finally go back to his search.

But instead of spending thirty minutes by himself, as planned, Gibbs got a suprise.

There, sitting on the edge of the boat, with tear tracks stained on her face and pigtails tussled, was Abby.

"Abigail, you have a lot of explaining to-"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Abbs?"

"Paris, Gibbs. Why didn't you tell me that you and Jenny were going to Paris?"


End file.
